GTK+ Update
 

Some software I wanted to install required a newer version of GTK+ than I was using. So off to compile the new version I go...

GLib, Pango, and ATK need to be installed first before GTK+ can be compiled (as I understand it). I installed GLib and ATK fine with no issues. Pango is another story.

When I run make, it fails......
/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango/.libs/libpangoft2-1.0.so: undefined reference to `g_type_instance_get_private'
/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango/.libs/libpangoft2-1.0.so: undefined reference to `g_type_class_add_private'
/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango/.libs/libpango-1.0.so: undefined reference to `g_unichar_get_mirror_char'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make[4]: *** [pango-querymodules] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango'
make[3]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango'
make[2]: *** [all] Error 2
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1/pango'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/dvation/pango-1.4.1'
make: *** [all] Error 2

Now I obviously have previous versions of these three packages, though it didn't seem to matter with GLib and ATK as they compiled with no issues. Now I'm stuck on Pango and can't get it installed. Any troubleshooting ideas here? I wonder if it has something to do with a previous version being installed...but I don't know how to "uninstall" it without running the risk of seriously screwing up my system.

is trying to link against the old version of glib and not finding needed symblols

it is going to be difficult at best to have 2 different versions of glib2/gtk2 at the same time
the only hint i can give is all versions of glib2 and gtk2 just call themselves 2.0
all versions of pango and atk just call themselves 1.0 even the packageconfig files for them are all named exactly the same thing.
so if you are going to have multiple versions and expect the system to see them as different and know which one to use forget it.
you will either have to play hide and seek with them or do some fancy Makefile link foo

ok, well that's a good start...so you think it isn't going well because of the multiple versions installed? I figured as much.

My issue then becomes, how do I upgrade? Or how do I uninstall/reinstall?

I can't be the first one to need and/or want to do this...yet I can't seem to find much help on the subject...care to shed some more light the process?